BENGALURU: A change in leadership is on the cards for the state Congress with a new leader for the Congress Legislature Party and the state unit to be announced soon. The party is abuzz as senior leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and KC Venugopal would arrive on Tuesday to help suggest names of leaders for these posts.
Siddaramaiah, the current CLP leader, had held the post for six years, five of which he also served as Chief Minister. Party insiders say that he is likely to make way for others following complaints that the present Congress leadership had failed the state in the 2018 assembly elections, the Lok Sabha polls and in running the coalition government with the JDS. In addition to these complaints, a few leaders from North Karnataka have also blamed the Congress for choosing leaders only from southern parts of the state.
Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao and Deputy CM Dr G Parameshwara are all from south Karnataka. Sources in the Siddaramaiah camp downplayed the issue, however other insiders said that the party was considering if replacing Siddaramaiah would create issues.
Azad is expected to play the role of an AICC observer, overseeing sweeping changes in the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, including the posts of leaders of opposition in the council, campaign committee chief and two chief whips.
Opposition mocks BSY
Earlier in the day, before the ministerial portfolios were announced, Congress and JDS lambasted Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. Former chief minister Siddaramaiah tweeted: “Ideally, CM or any minister should have been in the flood-affected places, listening to people’s woes. But they are busy making trips between Bengaluru and Delhi to finalise names and portfolios for the BSY cabinet.” JDS spokesperson Ramesh Babu also took a potshot and said that for BJP, the party is a priority and not the people and this is the reason they are taking so long to form a cabinet.